Darkest Before Dawn
by Tempest78
Summary: Kagome re-lives the night that she watched horrified and unable to move as all that she loved was ruthlessly torn away from her by the person she least expected to commit such heinous acts. Ban/Kag


**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. I only own this plot line.**

**A/N: Happy Birthday to my good friend Fillipino-Fury. I hope that you and enjoy this little piece. XD**

**XOXOXO:**

**Darkest Before Dawn:**

A small hand settled on his broad shoulder, and Bankotsu blinked.

"What are you thinking about?"

He stared up at the clear blue sky. _Just hearing her voice makes the sun shine brighter, and the sky seem bluer. _His fingers yanked out a couple blades of grass, and he twisted them between his fingers. _I sound like such a sap. _

"Just thinking." His eyes landed on the woman moving to sit beside him.

"What about?" She rubbed her sleepy brown eyes and yawned. She tilted her head to the side in that curious, innocent little way of hers.

"About how I'm the luckiest man in the world." A Proud smirk crossed his tanned face, as his hand settled on top of her protruding belly.

"You say that now. Just wait until the little guy actually gets here, then we'll see if you still feel the same way."

Noticing the lingering doubt in her eyes, he cupped her face, staring directly into her eyes. He adored the way that those eyes changed into a soft mahogany when her face flushed with passion.

"I have the most beautiful, kindest woman in the world at my side." She blushed. It never ceased to amaze him how the simplest things like a compliment could make her blush. "On top of that, she is carrying our child." His hand reverently rubbed her tummy, and felt a strong kick underneath his calloused palm. _That's my boy alright._

"Are you sure that this is what you want?" She grabbed her bottom lip between her teeth. Her lips trembled. "I don't want you to feel obligated or anything. I understand that as a mercenary you really can't afford distractions like this." She ducked her head. "I'll understand if you -"

"Don't even think about it." He slid a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. His eyes narrowed, voice stern.

"But -" She sniffled and her eyes watered.

"Kagome." His hand tenderly stroked her cheek, wiping away her tear. "What is it going to take for you to understand that I'm right where I want to be?" It tore at his heart to see the uncertainty in her eyes_. _Bitterness warred with anger to fill his soul._ I wonder if that baka hanyou even realizes how much damage he's done to her? _He gently wrapped his strong arms around her, and pressed her head to his chest. One hand slowly ran through her inky tresses. "I'm not going anywhere."

"But Inuyasha –" Her breath hitched and she closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears as all the times of being called troublesome and such a pain by the hanyou of her past.

"Don't you dare compare me to that bastard." Bankotsu snorted and grit his teeth. He pulled back and firmly planted his feet shoulder width apart, with his fists clenched. She blinked. "I'm _nothing _like that worthless hanyou."

"Inuyasha is n –" Kagome's eyes narrowed.

He crossed his arms over his chest and silenced her with an icy glare. "I'm sick of you constantly comparing me to that worthless fucking bastard!"

"I don't -" Her fingers touched her parted lips and her eyes widened a bit.

His posture stiffened and he snorted. "Bullshit! I've got a newsflash for you, Miko… I'm _not _the one who kept running to his dead lover, and left you crying every night. I'm _not _the one who constantly belittled you." His chest heaved with barely contained anger as his fist slammed into his palm_. Just once I'd like to find that bastard so that I can beat the holy hell out of him._

She flinched at the anger radiating from his aura. It was so strong that she felt it rolling off of him in waves. There was only one other time she'd felt anger that powerful… The night Inuyasha killed the others and tried to rape her. Her eyes widened and her face paled. "I'm sorry." She shook and tried to back away.

_Aw fuck. _He took a deep breath and expelled it. He didn't mean to scare her, but he was sick of her comparing him to that bastard mutt. His voice softened. "It's alright Kagome. I'm not going to raise my fist to you like he did." Bankotsu ran a hand through his bangs and snorted. His eyes turned emotionless and he sighed. "I just don't like when people, especially you, compare me to that bastard." He turned around, intending to stomp off down the hill, but was stopped by her hand on his shoulder.

"Please don't go."

The pleading tone of her voice diminished his anger. His shoulders sagged. He turned around and cradled her in his arms. "I'm not going anywhere," he breathed against her hair. "I just wish that you would believe me when I say that."

"I just… don't want to be hurt again." She sobbed and buried her head against his chest.

"Shh, I'll never hurt you like that Kagome." He ran a hand down her back.

Her arms wrapped around his waist and she cried into his chest. She wanted to believe him, but she'd been hurt so much already. It was hard to trust again. Her mind replayed the horrible events of the night Kikyo died.

_Kagome stared dismayed at the broken arrows and bow in her hands. 'At least the battle is over now.' She glanced over to where a heartbroken Inuyasha cradled the clay body of his beloved Kikyo._

_"Don't leave me Kikyo, please."_

_"Inuyasha," she whispered weakly, and cupped his cheek. She touched his tears. "You cry for me?" The dead priestess asked._

_Inuyasha choked back an anguished cry and nodded. "Please Kikyo, it can't end like this."_

_She stared into his eyes and spoke weakly. "Inuyasha …" Her eyes lost what little light they had once held and glazed over with emptiness._

_His arms around her tightened and he rocked back and forth. "Kikyo," The most intense pain he'd ever felt grabbed hold of him as he held his beloved mate, rocking back and forth. A vise gripped his heart and his chest squeezed in pain. "Kikyo," He tried in vain to get her to speak to him and as she remained silent the pain in his heart intensified._

_He opened his eyes and through the fog of tears, watched grief stricken as the souls faded into the sky. He lowered his eyes and let out a furious growl. His amber eyes turned red and his entire body shook with the power of his anger. 'No, it isn't fair! Why did she have to die?' Pure rage and deep hatred blackened his soul. His fangs elongated and he spun around, jumping on Miroku. He snarled ignoring the monk's startled babbling and flexed his claws. He swiped his claws across the monk's chest and then punched a whole through the monk's torso. Blue eyes widened as blood seeped onto the ground. Dazed blue eyes met angry red ones. _

_"Why?" Miroku managed to choke out before his eyes rolled back and he fell limp to his knees._

_Inuyasha shook his bloodied fist free of the body and snarled. The pain inside his heart still wouldn't go away and he grew more agitated. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth and angry foam gathered beside his lips._

_"Miroku, no!" Sango gripped her weapon tightly. Angry brown eyes glared at the hanyou. "Inuyasha, How could you?" She planted her feet shoulder width apart and prepared her weapon. Her eyes never left the hanyou."Kagome, Inuyasha is not in his right mind. You need to get away quickly."_

_"But Sango," __Kagome's eyes filled with tears. _

_"Just do it Kagome." Sango stepped forward. "Run now!" The demon slayer spun around a few times and released her giant bone weapon. _

_Inuyasha snarled and quickly leapt out of the way of the boomerang. _

_Sango flicked open her sheathe and pulled out her katana. She quickly ran forward and used her katana to slice the demon's arm. She ducked his swipe and rolled away. She jumped back up to her feet and caught her Hiraikotsu. She spun around and used it to body block the angry tackle. "Snap out of it, Inuyasha!"_

_Driven by pure rage, he snarled and slammed against her weapon again._

_She braced for the impact and dug her foot into the ground. When she noticed he wasn't going to stop, tears filled her eyes and she brought the katana down towards him._

_"Please don't make me have to kill you. I've already lost so much; don't make me lose you too." Sango's was torn between having to kill her friend and knowing that if she didn't, he would kill them all - Just as he had Miroku. She hoped Kagome got safely away.  
_

_Inuyasha dodged the blow and ran towards the slayer, knocking her massive weapon aside. Wasting no time, he quickly used her shock to his advantage and sliced his razor sharp claws across her throat._

_Brown eyes widened in disbelief and her blade clattered to the earth. She grabbed her throat trying in vain to stop the blood leaking from her open neck._

_Inuyasha watched her fall limp on the ground and blood pool around the body. He glared at the body, still not satisfied with his revenge._

_"Inuyasha stop it!"_

_Remembering all the pain he'd endured thanks to the kit, mainly in the form of those ever annoying sits, the enraged demon's eyes turned to him, and a furious snarl ripped past his lips. "It's your turn runt."_

_Shippo's eyes widened and his little heart raced. His leg muscles tightened and he made a desperate leap away from the demon._

_Inuyasha easily caught him and quickly sliced his tiny belly open. Guts spilled from the wounds and pooled on the ground, mixing with the blood and creating a pungent odor. With a derisive snort he dropped the dead kit to the ground and stepped on the slayer's corpse. His heel ground into her back and he spat on her. "You shouldn't have interfered."_

_The time traveling priestess stood rooted to the spot and watched in horror with her jaw hanging open as her former hanyou friend ruthlessly killed their companions. She tried to cry out, but couldn't find her voice. She was too shell shocked to do anything but watch in horror as if she was in a trance. When she saw the demon form of her friend kill her surrogate son, she finally found her voice._

_"Inuyasha, how could you?" Kagome's eyes filled with tears. She clenched her fists tightly and glared at him. She would have sat him to hell and back, if only his beads hadn't fallen off during the final battle._

_The demon snarled and his beady eyes settled on the copy of his mate. Rage like no other he'd ever known filled him to the core. 'It's her fault that our mate died.' Anger renewed, he charged towards her._

_Finally able to move, Kagome turned around with her heart thundering in her chest and fled into the trees. Her breath burst in and out of her lungs as she tried not to think of her dead companions. Tears flew from her eyes as she crashed through the lower hanging limbs and underbrush, mindless of it tearing at her clothes and skin. Her legs and arms pumped as fast as they possibly could. 'I've got to hide, but where?'_

_She heard him crashing through the trees behind her. She flinched and continued running. She was too far outmatched. She turned a corner trying to lose him, but he roughly tackled her to the ground. The rough terrain skinned her knees as she hit the ground. Her cry escalated as she felt a hand yank her up by the hair._

_"You worthless bitch." The back of his hand collided painfully with her face and sent her flying onto her back. He pounced on her, breathing heavily. His claws quickly shredded her clothes and his hands groped her breast, squeezing roughly._

___"Inuyasha, don't." _Her stomach roiled and she shook her head in denial, as she tried to fight him off.  


_He let out an annoyed grunt and secured her hands over her head, with one of his own. The back of his free hand connected with her cheek. _

_"Silence!"_

_She screamed in pain as one of his fangs grazed her breast, leaving a thin line of blood. "Not like this," she pleaded. Tears poured from her eyes as she struggled against his superior strength._

_He smacked her again. "Shut up!" A feral grin crossed his lips as her cheek swelled and split open._

_His knee roughly shoved between her thighs, forcing them open. His claw gripped her throat restricting her air intake._

_Her eyes bulged and she started to panic. She tried to buck him off to no avail._

_"Stop struggling bitch, you know you want it. Don't even try to deny it."_

_She opened her mouth to scream, but could barely pull any air into her lungs._

_He positioned himself at her entrance. She closed her eyes, failing to hold back her tears. 'I never wanted it to be like this. I wanted it to be special.' _

_His grip on her throat tightened in a silent command for her to stop struggling. Her body froze and she braced, waiting for the inevitable. Her eyes closed and she felt herself drifting into unconsciousness. 'Someone save me.'_

_"Only a pathetic coward would betray his friends." __A deep and disgusted snort sounded from off to the side._

_She was barely cognizant enough to register a loud crunch, then the weight pressing down on top of her suddenly vanished. She gulped in deep breaths of air and blinked as she sat up._

_Her eyes widened as her savior punted Inuyasha like a soccer ball, then stormed over to the further riled demon._

_She quickly looked around for something to try to preserve her modesty with, but found nothing but the shredded material that used to be her school uniform. She shakily drew her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly, wincing as she felt the bruising on her chest. She watched the furious former leader of the Schichinintai engage Inuyasha in battle._

_Tears blurred her vision and she lowered her head to her knees crying. She tried to drown out the sounds as the two males faced off in battle._

_Because he couldn't wield his Tetsuiga in his present state, Inuyasha eventually ended up on the ground, snarling and grabbed his bleeding stomach, ignoring the fresh blood oozing from various wounds. Ruby eyes narrowed in hatred at the man above him, spinning his massive halberd. The tip dripped with fresh blood._

_Inuyasha spat out some blood and glared at the mercenary. "This isn't over," he gathered his waning strength and quickly fled into the forest, away from his enemy to nurse his wounds and plot his revenge._

_Bankotsu's equally hate filled eyes never left the demon until long after he'd vanished from site. "Baka hanyou," He spat on the ground and lowered his weapon. He took off his haori and knelt beside the frightened girl. "Oi, you okay?" He wrapped his haori around Kagome's shoulders. He secured his prized weapon to his broad back and scooped Kagome into his arms. "Let's get out of here."_

_Her body slumped in his arms. She clung to him too shocked to even speak and shivered in his arms. She buried her head against his chest and gave her tears free reign._

Kagome's arms tightened around his waist and she tried to force the unwanted, painful memories away. A sob escaped her tightly pressed lips.

"Shh it's okay. He can't hurt you anymore. I'll kill him before he ever touches you again." Bankotsu patiently stroked her hair.

She shook in his arms and tried to push the past away.

"I swear Kagome, if I ever see that bastard again he's dead." Bankotsu pulled back and cupped her face. His tone was hard and unforgiving. He gently wiped her tears away and vowed harshly, "No one hurts you and lives. Not while I still breathe!"

She hiccuped and nodded. She'd had many months to come to terms with the fact that Inuyasha was no longer the hanyou she'd befriended. Somehow after losing his precious Kikyo, he turned into a monster.

To thank Bankotsu for helping her that night, she'd used the jewel and wished him back to life. He was stronger now than when he'd carried the seven jewel shards, but he was flesh and blood now. It had shocked him and she'd followed him for weeks before they even spoke of it.

After recalling a conversation she'd once had with Sango and Miroku about how they felt it was wrong to bring back the dead, she'd decided to honor their wishes and only wished for Bankotsu to be flesh and blood once more.

He nuzzled his face against her hair and pushed her head to the crook of his neck.

"I just don't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden, Kagome. You're a gift that should be treasured above all else." He pulled back to stare into her eyes. He smiled and brushed his lips against hers. "You're the greatest treasure that a man could ever have, and I intend to show you that every day."

She blinked and watched his eyes soften with something indefinable. Bankotsu wasn't a man of many words, so when he did talk she made it a point to listen.

"You are an incredible woman and any man would be lucky to have you. That baka hanyou couldn't see what a good thing he had." He pulled her into his arms. "I know how precious of a gift you are, and have no intention of letting anything happen to you, or to come between us."

Her heart fluttered in her chest and she bit her lip. She wanted to believe him, but she was afraid to chance her heart.

"I know Inubaka hurt you and betrayed you and your friends." His hold lightly tightened. "I won't. Kagome, I'd never hurt you like that. I may be a mercenary, but I know how to treasure what really matters."

She bit her lip. _He's been surprisingly kind and so gentle since he rescued me that night. I wish I could give him my heart, but I'm so afraid of getting betrayed again. _She stared into his eyes. "Thank you, for rescuing me that night and for everything else."

He cupped her cheek and sighed. _She gave me a new chance at life. Since then she's given me so much more than I ever dared dream was possible. _His heart rate accelerated.

She placed her hand over his and nuzzled her cheek against his palm.

He gave her a small smile. "I'll always consider myself the luckiest man in the world, because I have you." He was more a man of action and rarely communicated his feelings to anyone.

This woman was the only woman who had ever bothered to look past his tough guy demeanor and see the real him. At first it had annoyed the hell out of him. But after a while, he'd grown used to it, and was grateful that she cared enough to bother with it. This woman who had known her share of heartache and betrayal, had given him a chance at the one thing he'd long ago given up on ever knowing.

True acceptance.

She knew he was a hired killer, but she didn't condemn him for it. Instead of running away scared when he growled at her, she'd stood toe to toe with him and yelled right back at him. Eventually he'd found to his astonishment that the walls built around his heart meant to keep everyone at bay, were crumbling.

He stroked her cheek in a tender caress. This woman had managed to succeed where all other people failed. She'd won her way into his heart and become very special to him.

They didn't talk much, but when they did they talked openly. He knew that women sometimes needed to be reminded through words how a guy felt. Though it went against his very core to be so sappy, he knew exactly what she needed more than anything right now and gathered his courage around him. He took a deep breath and tried to utter the three words that he'd never said before to anyone.

"Kagome..." His throat tightened. He'd dealt with rejection before and really preferred to avoid it. He stared deeply into her eyes. _Maybe things will be different this time. After all she has already proven she's more woman than the others I've known. _He swallowed past the lump in his throat and wiped his sweaty palm on his hakama leg. He took a deep breath and tried again.

"Kagome, I… I love you." His breath expelled. _There I said it. I really hope I don't end up regretting this. _He waited anxiously for her reaction.

Her eyes widened and her breath hitched. She stared into his eyes, noting his nervousness. She smiled. "I love you too Bankotsu." She pushed up on her tip toes and pressed her lips against his.

She felt the tension leave his shoulders as his mouth opened to her. She pushed her tongue inside and kissed him with all of the pent up feelings that she had been afraid to express.

He wrapped his arms around her, feeling like everything was finally turning out the way it was meant to. His heart warmed as he felt her soft body melt against his. He pulled back to grin proudly when he felt a strong kick against his abs. He stared at her stomach and raised a brow.

Kagome giggled and joined him in laughter. For the first time since that horrible night, she felt hope for a bright future.

**XOXOXO:**

**A/N: Ha! Finally! Something I'm mostly satisfied with. This is the third and final draft for this little one shot. I didn't want to bog it down with tons of info, but wanted to address some questions I was sure would pop up while reading it. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this. I'd love to hear what you think about it. XD**


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